Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

On the wall of Zhang Yi's office hangs a huge map of China, densely marked with the distribution channels of Snow Beer.

The marketing director was giving a report, his tone excited yet tinged with caution: "Mr. Zhang, in the past month, our sales have increased by 320% year-on-year, with online channels showing the most rapid growth, reaching 700%. However, according to market research data..."

He paused, switched to a different slide, and continued, "Over 75% of our new customers are from other brands, especially..."

On the chart, the market share curve of a certain beer brand in North China shows a steep downward arc, which is in stark contrast to the rocket-like upward curve of Snow Beer.

Zhang Yi pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze sharp behind the lenses: "In other words, we're not developing new beer enthusiasts, but rather getting people who used to drink other brands to switch to our Xuewei."

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, 'Professor Li's style' has become social currency among young people. They buy it to imitate the scenes in the show, and this has formed a consumption habit."

When Zhang Yi thought that all of this was the result of his good-for-nothing younger brother, he felt a sense of urgency for no reason, even though Zhang Yang had said he wouldn't compete with him for control of Xuewei Beer.

However, sometimes, just because Zhang Yang doesn't compete doesn't mean others won't push him forward. How did Zhao Kuangyin rise to power? How did he get the yellow robe? If someone were to follow suit, what would Zhang Yi do?

"Sigh, I still need to work harder."

The struggle for the crown prince position has always been like this; you can't avoid it just by saying you won't compete. Besides, there's also the third prince, Zhang Miao.

Being the eldest brother is incredibly stressful.

......

While Zhang Yang was translating the script for "The Heirs," good news also came from Wang Jinghua's side: several investors who were optimistic about Aikun Fried Chicken had prepared offers.

Wang Jinghua pointed to a figure on a price list and said, "Driven by the popularity of 'My Love from the Star,' the brand valuation of Aikun Fried Chicken is changing every day. Now, there are already investors offering 5000 million."

5000?

Zhang Yang was taken aback, then said calmly, "It's a little lower than I expected."

5000 million is too low?

Wang Jinghua really wanted to pry open Zhang Yang's head and see what was inside.

Wang Jinghua struggled for most of her life, but her net worth was only a little over 1000 million yuan. Now, Zhang Yang can easily register a fried chicken brand and sell it for 5000 million yuan.

Wang Jinghua knew exactly what Aikun Fried Chicken was all about. It was just a shell brand registered by Zhang Yang, along with dozens of related trademarks. All that was done, and the total cost was only a few hundred thousand yuan.

Now it's almost a hundred times more after just one sale, and they still complain it's not enough. It's infuriating!

Taking a deep breath, Wang Jinghua opened another document: "Zhang Yang, five institutions have clearly expressed their interest in acquiring Aikun Fried Chicken. Among them, Tiansheng Capital is the most active. They have offered the most favorable terms, but their offer is cash plus stock."

Tiansheng Capital?

Zhang Yang seemed to have never heard of it, especially since it involved both cash and stocks.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on Zhang Yang's face. Under Wang Jinghua's watchful gaze, Zhang Yang suddenly spoke: "Reject Tiansheng. Aikun Fried Chicken only accepts cash."

"But their offer was the highest..."

"What I need is cash. If it were stocks, I could manage them myself; why would I need to sell them?"

As he spoke, Zhang Yang looked at Wang Jinghua and said, "Tell the other buyers that we only accept cash."

Ultimately, Zhang Yang sold Aikun Zhajia for 7000 million yuan, including all related trademarks. Jiuzhou Investment also benefited from this sale, acquiring a 10% stake.

The reason why Jiuzhou Investment was able to acquire a 10% stake is naturally because Wang Jinghua has a good relationship with Zhang Yang and helped the capital lobby Zhang Yang, ultimately securing Aikun Fried Chicken.

Now that Zhang Yang has 2 million yuan, he naturally can't just put it in the bank to earn interest. What he needs to do is spend it.

Zhang Yang remembered a movie called "You Are the Apple of My Eye" from his previous life that caused a huge sensation. The female lead, Shen Jiayi, was even called the nation's first love by many people. Now that Zhang Yang has money, he naturally wants to snatch this project.

However, "You Are the Apple of My Eye" seems to be from Taiwan Province, and Zhang Yang doesn't have much of a connection there. He can't just go directly to Fan Bingbing, can he? You know, he had previously warned her not to get too entangled with Taiwanese capital, and now he's turning around and getting entangled with Taiwanese capital himself. Even Zhang Yang, who has a thick skin, is a little embarrassed.

After careful consideration, Zhang Yang remembered that the director of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" was Ke Jingteng. He could just contact him directly to purchase the film. Of course, Zhang Yang couldn't get involved in this matter himself, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble. He needed to find someone who seemed to have nothing to do with him to handle this.

Besides "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Zhang Yang also wants to invest in a movie to promote Fan Bingbing. As for which movie to make, Zhang Yang has already decided: he will take advantage of Jun Ji-hyun's popularity and invest in "The Thieves," starring her.

The movie "The Thieves" is really suitable for Fan Bingbing. The female lead is beautiful and cool, and the character design is also good. At least it is very different from the character Zhang Wangshu in "My Love from the Star".

...

Beijing, Huayi, Wang Xiaoer's office.

Wang Xiaoer twirled the pen in his hand and said into his phone, "President Yang, I believe that through our joint efforts, we can show Zhang Yang just how murky the entertainment industry can be."

Mr. Yang on the other end of the phone laughed and said, "Yes, we must teach Zhang Yang a lesson this time."

Thus, with Wang Xiaoer and General Manager Yang taking the lead, the old issue of questioning Zhang Yang's singing ability was brought up again, sparking a lot of discussion once more.

"Yangyang's singing skills definitely need improvement; we can't just blindly praise him."

"Right now, the haters are just focusing on this one thing. It would be great if Yangyang could come out and prove himself, even if it's just singing a short song a cappella."

"I really hope he can sing it properly on some formal occasion and shut those people up!"

This urgent desire for their idol to prove his critics wrong with his talent permeated the fan base and was expressed through various channels. They began leaving messages on Zhang Yang's social media: "Brother, sing for us!" "We want to hear a live version!"

These comments, seemingly supportive, are actually a form of invisible pressure. They need their idol to put on a perfect performance to soothe their anxiety caused by external criticism.

Meanwhile, professional trolls and online troll teams exploit this mentality among fans, setting up logical traps.

They stirred up trouble on various forums and social media platforms:

"Don't his fans rave about how talented he is? If he's so capable, why doesn't he stop hiding in the recording studio and do a live stream singing?"

"Even pre-recorded videos can have their audio edited; we'll only know if it's real or not when we put it to the test!"

Soon, the topic of "whether Zhang Yang dares to sing live" became the hottest topic.

These trolls' tactics are extremely malicious: if Zhang Yang doesn't respond, he's accused of being "guilty," "cowardly," and "unworthy of his position"; if Zhang Yang responds but performs poorly, he's accused of "publicly executing" and "his public image collapsing."

This group of trolls cleverly twisted the discussion of "singing skills," a professional ability, into a questioning of one's character, specifically "courage" and "integrity."

This scene gave Zhang Yang a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.